edicine released three albums of guitar-driven shoegazer-pop in the early-to-mid 90s, before splitting in 1996. They have now returned, seven years later, a changed band. Vocalist Beth Thompson has been replaced by Shannon Lee, and chief songwriter Brad Laner has developed a keener interest in electronics.

This old dog has certainly learned some new tricks. Medicine’s Beach Boys-meets-MBV pop remains, but now comes coated in electronic static, and is driven by a more purposeful, frequently funky, rhythm section. Imagine a glitched Garbage CD hopping randomly from track-to-track, and you’ve got something close to The Mechanical Forces of Love.

However, Medicine’s keenness to expand into new territories reaps mixed results over the course of an album. Occasionally, there is just *too* much going on in a single song: the production is very busy indeed, and it can be hard work trying to keep up. Sublime moments are frequently cut short, as tracks change tempo and texture abruptly. Opener "As You Do" is a prime example of this: there’s a great song waiting to burst out, but whenever you expect it to soar, it stumbles and lurches clumsily. This is followed by another mediocre track, "I Smile to My Eyes" - a tuneless piece of garage-pop made passable by some deft electronic swirls.

However, three superlative tracks in a row rescue proceedings. "Wet On Wet" and "Best Future" combine foxy r’n’b beats with confident garage-pop melodies to splendid effect, the latter’s darkly uplifting refrain ("You know you die alone / never seem to atone") providing the album’s highlight. Laner?s mangled vocal and guitar squeals combine to create something truly menacing on "ioi". Medicine’s new direction starts to make thrilling sense, at last.

These gems are followed by "I M Yrs", the album’s most dancefloor-oriented track. It’s a pleasantly melancholic slice of dance-pop, featuring Balaeric synth-washes. "Astral Gravy" finds the group back on more familiar territory: a confident slice of garage-pop, with vocals buried deep in the mix, MBV-style.

Things run aground again with "Good For Me", though. The whiny vocal refrain ("Why not me? / Why Not ME?”) grates pretty quickly, and the track is hampered by heavy-handed production. "Negative Capability" is similarly uneven: lovely walls of Beach Boys harmonies are toppled by ugly and unnecessary bursts of fuzz guitar.

The remainder of the album is excellent, though. The mid-paced melancholy of "Whiz" and "Sodden Rockets" is given extra edge by unexpected cuts and glitches, while closing track "And Sometimes Y" is an epic triumph. Organs hum, drums roll and crash, while Shannon Lee delivers a towering vocal performance.

This album is frequently maddening, but benefits hugely from repeated listening. New layers and sounds are uncovered with each visit, and initially awkward passages fall neatly into place if given time to do so. It may even grow on me further still, before the year is out.

Well worth checking out, but keep the fast forward button within reach.